Reappraisal of Vipera aspis Venom Neurotoxicity

BACKGROUND: The variation of venom composition with geography is an important aspect of intraspecific variability in the Vipera genus, although causes of this variability remain unclear. The diversity of snake venom is important both for our understanding of venomous snake evolution and for the preparation of relevant antivenoms to treat envenomations. A geographic intraspecific variation in snake venom composition was recently reported for Vipera aspis aspis venom in France. Since 1992, cases of human envenomation after Vipera aspis aspis bites in south-east France involving unexpected neurological signs were regularly reported. The presence of genes encoding PLA(2) neurotoxins in the Vaa snake genome led us to investigate any neurological symptom associated with snake bites in other regions of France and in neighboring countries. In parallel, we used several approaches to characterize the venom PLA(2) composition of the snakes captured in the same areas. [br/] METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We conducted an epidemiological survey of snake bites in various regions of France. In parallel, we carried out the analysis of the genes and the transcripts encoding venom PLA(2)s. We used SELDI technology to study the diversity of PLA(2) in various venom samples. Neurological signs (mainly cranial nerve disturbances) were reported after snake bites in three regions of France: Languedoc-Roussillon, Midi-Pyrénées and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. Genomes of Vipera aspis snakes from south-east France were shown to contain ammodytoxin isoforms never described in the genome of Vipera aspis from other French regions. Surprisingly, transcripts encoding venom neurotoxic PLA(2)s were found in snakes of Massif Central region. Accordingly, SELDI analysis of PLA(2) venom composition confirmed the existence of population of neurotoxic Vipera aspis snakes in the west part of the Massif Central mountains. [br/] CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The association of epidemiological studies to genetic, biochemical and immunochemical analyses of snake venoms allowed a good evaluation of the potential neurotoxicity of snake bites. A correlation was found between the expression of neurological symptoms in humans and the intensity of the cross-reaction of venoms with anti-ammodytoxin antibodies, which is correlated with the level of neurotoxin (vaspin and/or ammodytoxin) expression in the venom. The origin of the two recently identified neurotoxic snake populations is discussed according to venom PLA(2) genome and transcriptome data

Deuxième spécimen connu du scinque d’Asie du Sud-Est <i>Siaphos tridigitus </i>Bourret, 1939 (Reptilia, Scincidae)

Un spécimen de scincidé récemment collecté dans les monts Boloven, au sud du Laos, représente le deuxième spécimen connu de Siaphos tridigitus Bourret, 1939. Cette espèce n’était connue que par son holotype originaire de Bach Ma, au centre du Vietnam. Le nouveau spécimen est décrit et illustré, et comparé avec l’holotype. Les relations de cette espèce sont examinées. Elle est provisoirement placée dans le genre Sphenomorphus Fitzinger, 1843.A scincid lizard recently collected in Boloven Highlands, South Laos, proved to be the second known specimen of Siaphos tridigitus Bourret, 1939. This species was previously known only from its holotype obtained at Bach Ma, central Vietnam. The new specimen is described and depicted, and compared with the holotype. Relationships of this species are discussed. It is tentatively placed in the genus Sphenomorphus Fitzinger, 1843.</p

Sports de raquette : complémentarité, transversalité ?

Enseignement des sports de raquette, activités duelles : badminton, tennis, tennis de table. Logiques internes, grilles d'évaluation jusqu'en terminale. Aspects transversaux : choix tactiques, placement, lecture des trajectoires : l'objectif est de faire acquérir aux élèves une base de savoirs fondamentaux leur donnant les moyens de transposer leur apprentissage à des APS similaires

Boiga drapiezii

&lt;i&gt;Boiga drapiezii&lt;/i&gt; (Boie &lt;i&gt;in&lt;/i&gt; Boie, 1827) &lt;p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Material examined&lt;/b&gt;. MNHN 2002.0431 (male; SVL 828 mm, TaL 288 mm), and an adult, not collected, vicinity of Lubuksao, Province of Sumatera Barat. &ndash; A specimen dead on the road, not preserved (very bad condition), Tigapulan Mts., Province of Riau.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Taxonomic comments&lt;/b&gt;. This species is currently monotypic. However, its taxonomy is unclear, as two morphs are recognized, a brown one and a green one respectively. The problem is currently under investigation (Gernot Vogel, pers. comm., April 2009). Specimen MNHN 2002.0431 belongs to the green morph. It has 270 ventrals, 151 subcaudals, and 17 dorsal scale rows at midbody. This specimen might also be referable to &lt;i&gt;Boiga bengkuluensis&lt;/i&gt; Orlov, Kudryavtzev, Ryabov &amp; Shumakov, 2003. However, the characters given in the original description of this latter species are not diagnostic enough to allow us to conclude. Both other specimens belong to the brown morph of &lt;i&gt;Boiga drapiezii&lt;/i&gt;.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Distribution on Sumatra&lt;/b&gt;. Provinces of Sumatera Utara, Sumatera Barat, Riau, Bengkulu, and Sumatera Selatan; also Mentawai Archipelago and Natuna Archipelago (David &amp; Vogel, 1996).&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Biology&lt;/b&gt;. Specimen MNHN 2002.0431 was found dead on a road crossing a primary rocky rainforest. The other specimen from Lubuksao was observed in the same forest during a rainy night. The specimen from Tigapulan was found dead on a road crossing a part already burnt of a large tract of primary forest in process of total destruction. All were observed in November.&lt;/p&gt;Published as part of &lt;i&gt;Teynié, Alexandre, David, Patrick &amp; Ohler, Annemarie, 2010, Note on a collection of Amphibians and Reptiles from Western Sumatra (Indonesia), with the description of a new species of the genus Bufo, pp. 1-43 in Zootaxa 2416&lt;/i&gt; on page 20, DOI: &lt;a href="http://zenodo.org/record/194395"&gt;10.5281/zenodo.194395&lt;/a&gt

Dendrelaphis caudolineatus subsp. caudolineatus Gray 1835

Dendrelaphis caudolineatus caudolineatus (Gray, 1835) (Fig. 6 c) Material examined. MHLCLFE C 167 (male; SVL 768 mm, TaL> 286 mm), Bayur, Province of Sumatera Barat, elev. 480 m. Taxonomic comments. This specimen is typical for the species (Gaulke, 1994), with a back dark brown becoming lighter posteriorly and the presence of stripes on the body. Five subspecies are recognized of which only the nominate form is present on Sumatra. Scalation: DSR 13 - 13 - 11, VEN 176, SC> 102. Distribution on Sumatra. Provinces of Aceh, Sumatera Utara, Sumatera Barat, Riau, Jambi, Sumatera Selatan, and Lampung; also the islands of Bangka, Belitung, and Nias, and Mentawai Archipelago and Riau Archipelago (David & Vogel, 1996). Biology. The specimen was collected at 0 930 hours during a clear day in August. The snake was lying on the ground at the foot of a bush in a rice field. It escaped at an incredible speed.Published as part of Teynié, Alexandre, David, Patrick & Ohler, Annemarie, 2010, Note on a collection of Amphibians and Reptiles from Western Sumatra (Indonesia), with the description of a new species of the genus Bufo, pp. 1-43 in Zootaxa 2416 on page 21, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19439

Dasia olivacea Gray 1838

Dasia olivacea (Gray, 1838) Material examined. MNHN 2002.0427 (female; SVL 53.6 mm, TaL 86.0 mm), Bayur, Province of Sumatera Barat, elev. 480 m. Taxonomic comments. We follow Inger & Brown (1980) and Manthey & Grossmann (1997). Distribution on Sumatra. Provinces of Aceh, Sumatera Utara, Sumatera Barat, Jambi, Bengkulu, and Sumatera Selatan; also the islands of Nias and Simeulue (De Rooij, 1915). Biology. The specimen was observed at 1100 hours during a clear weather. The lizard was chasing a spider on the branches of a short tree on the shore of the lake. Without being disturbed by the human presence, the lizard eventually seized and swallowed the spider.Published as part of Teynié, Alexandre, David, Patrick & Ohler, Annemarie, 2010, Note on a collection of Amphibians and Reptiles from Western Sumatra (Indonesia), with the description of a new species of the genus Bufo, pp. 1-43 in Zootaxa 2416 on pages 15-16, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19439

Asthenodipsas malaccanus Peters 1864

Asthenodipsas malaccanus (Peters, 1864) Material examined. MNHN 2002.0435 (female; SVL 373 mm, TaL 45 mm), vicinity East of Pundung Lamanggang, Jambi Province. Taxonomic comments. This specimen is typical for the species (see, for example, Taylor, 1965). Scalation: DSR 15 - 15 - 15; VEN 167; SC 30; SL 7 / 7; 2 PreOc. Distribution on Sumatra.Provinces of Aceh, Sumatera Utara, Sumatera Barat, Riau, Bengkulu, Sumatera Selatan, and Lampung (David & Vogel, 1996; Yves Laumonier, pers. comm., 1998; De Lang, 2003). Biology. This specimen was discovered in November hidden under a stone at day time in a small garden in a secondary forest.Published as part of Teynié, Alexandre, David, Patrick & Ohler, Annemarie, 2010, Note on a collection of Amphibians and Reptiles from Western Sumatra (Indonesia), with the description of a new species of the genus Bufo, pp. 1-43 in Zootaxa 2416 on page 24, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19439

Varanus salvator Laurenti 1768

Varanus salvator (Laurenti, 1768) Material examined. Several specimens, adult and subadult, were observed in Bayur, Province of Sumatera Barat, elev. 480 m. – A road killed specimen, not preserved, in the area just northeast of Kirilanjao, Province of Sumatera Barat. Taxonomic comments. These specimens are typical for the species (see, for example, Gaulke & Horn, 2004). Distribution on Sumatra. Provinces of Aceh, Sumatera Utara, Sumatera Barat, Riau, Jambi, Sumatera Selatan, and Lampung; also the islands of Engano, Nias, Simeulue and We (De Rooij, 1915). Biology. This species is still relatively common along the eastern shore of Lac Maninjau. Specimens were often observed at dawn and sometimes just before sunset. Some of them seem to be regular at their basking site. A few adults could swim up to about 150 m from the shore. A monitor’s burrow was detected in the vertical bank of a stream, concealed in tangled vegetation. The specimen found dead was killed while it was crawling near a stream on a road crossing a piece of primary forest in hills. Monitors are still (temporarily?) common in populated areas where they sometimes forage in the garbage cans.Published as part of Teynié, Alexandre, David, Patrick & Ohler, Annemarie, 2010, Note on a collection of Amphibians and Reptiles from Western Sumatra (Indonesia), with the description of a new species of the genus Bufo, pp. 1-43 in Zootaxa 2416 on page 17, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19439

Xenochrophis trianguligerus Boie 1827

Xenochrophis trianguligerus (Boie, 1827) (Fig. 6 f) Material examined. 3 specimens examined alive and photographed, from Maninjau, Mukomuko and Bayur respectively, Province of Sumatera Barat, elev. 480– 500 m. Taxonomic comments. These specimens as typical for this species as depicted in Chan-Ard et al. (1999). Distribution on Sumatra. Provinces of Aceh, Sumatera Utara, Sumatera Barat, Riau, Jambi, Bengkulu, Sumatera Selatan, and Lampung (David & Vogel, 1996); also the islands of Bangka, Belitung and Nias, and Riau Archipelago. Biology. The specimen from Maninjau was observed near human dwellings, whereas the specimen from Mukomuko was found dead on a road edging an area of forest and cultures. Lastly, the specimen from Bayur was obtained in a rice field in the end of the afternoon.Published as part of Teynié, Alexandre, David, Patrick & Ohler, Annemarie, 2010, Note on a collection of Amphibians and Reptiles from Western Sumatra (Indonesia), with the description of a new species of the genus Bufo, pp. 1-43 in Zootaxa 2416 on page 24, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19439

Gonyosoma oxycephalum Boie 1827

Gonyosoma oxycephalum (Boie, 1827) Material examined. A specimen examined alive and photographed, vicinity East of Pundung Lamanggang, Jambi Province. Taxonomic comments. A typical specimen of the green morph as described in Schulz (1996). Distribution on Sumatra. Provinces of Aceh, Sumatera Utara, Sumatera Barat, Riau, Jambi, Bengkulu, Sumatera Selatan, and Lampung; also the islands of Bangka, Belitung, and Nias, and Mentawai Archipelago and Riau Archipelago (David & Vogel, 1996). Biology. This adult was observed at day time in November on the edge of a road in a secondary forest.Published as part of Teynié, Alexandre, David, Patrick & Ohler, Annemarie, 2010, Note on a collection of Amphibians and Reptiles from Western Sumatra (Indonesia), with the description of a new species of the genus Bufo, pp. 1-43 in Zootaxa 2416 on pages 21-22, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19439